“I knew in advance that I should not go to the end with Sanne Cant" - Laura Verdonschot so close to taking historic Belgian Championship win

On Saturday afternoon, a thrilling edition of the women's Belgian Cyclocross Championship played out. Despite the best efforts of Laura Verdonschot though, it was Sanne Cant who prevailed yet again.

“Disappointment prevails," Verdonschot admitted glumly in her post-race interview. "During the race it was already clear that Sanne was the best. I didn't feel like I had the legs of the last few weeks. But it wasn't an easy course either, it maybe that's the reason."

Every time Cant looked to be gapping Verdonschot and powering towards victory, the elastic would tighten once again. With the pair neck and neck heading into the final lap, Verdonschot was outsprinted by Cant to the line as the undisputed G.O.A.T. of Belgian women's cyclocross made it a quite incredible 15 national titles in a row.

“I think it was the technique and the power of Sanne that played a role. I knew in advance that I should not go to the end with Sanne," Verdonschot concludes. "When I knew we were going to make it to the end, I almost had to start praying that I could win anyway. It didn't happen."

🥇 🇧🇪 Sanne Cant a remporté un 15e titre consécutif de championne de Belgique de #cyclocross devant 🥈 🇧🇪 Laura Verdonschot.🥉 🇧🇪 Marion Norbert Riberolle complète le podium.#cx #veldrijden #cxnats pic.twitter.com/xr9Q9xnkyK

— 🚴 Les Rois du Peloton 🚲 (@LRoisDuPeloton) January 13, 2024